Closeboard fencing done properly on Ramsgate ground.

What's included

• Concrete slotted posts (100mm x 100mm) or timber H4-treated posts (100mm x 100mm) depending on quote spec
• Concrete gravel board at the base, so the featheredge boards never sit against wet ground
• Two horizontal arris rails (three on 1.83m clifftop runs) - pressure-treated softwood, tanalised
• Vertical featheredge boards, 100mm x 22mm, tanalised, overlapping by 25mm
• Post caps to seal the end grain
• Post-holes augered to 600mm and concreted with C20 mix - never dry-packed
• All spoil and old fence material removed and disposed of
• Site swept and photos on completion

Ramsgate-specific notes

Chalk substrate. Under 300 to 600mm of topsoil across most of Ramsgate you'll hit solid chalk. That's actually good news for a concrete-in post - the chalk holds concrete beautifully once the collar sets. The augering takes a bit longer through the chalk seam but the finished post is bomb-proof. On the very shallow-chalk plots along the West Cliff, we sometimes have to reduce the post-hole depth and widen the collar; that's specced at the quote stage.

West Cliff wind loading. Any clifftop plot from Victoria Parade round to the West Cliff Promenade takes serious wind. On those we default to 1.83m closeboard on concrete posts with concrete gravel boards and three arris rails rather than two. It costs an extra £5 to £8 per metre and it holds. On a sheltered Royal Harbour or Nethercourt back garden we can drop back to the standard two-rail build.

Sea-facing runs. If the fence line faces the sea directly (unusual - most gardens are set back), we spec a preservative retreatment schedule: every three years brushed on, or the featheredge starts silvering and cupping inside seven or eight.

Timing

A standard 20m closeboard run on average ground takes one working day for a two-person crew, plus half a day for the concrete to fully cure before we finish. Runs over 30m or with awkward access (stepped gardens, side-of-house passageway loads) run to two days.

Pricing

Closeboard fencing supplied and installed sits in the £75 to £110 per metre band including concrete posts and concrete gravel boards. Clifftop-spec (three-rail, wind-loaded) is at the top of that band. Sheltered back-garden runs at the lower end. Fixed price after we see the run.